So last Saturday (17th September 22 for reference if you're reading this way off in the future) I did a zipline challenge. Now let me say I'm not really one for heights and definitely not one for thrill seeking rides (when I was at Disneyland Paris with my brother and any of the rides were even potentially fast/twisty/etc...I went for a cuppa and a Mickey mouse pastry and left him to it!!) so whilst I was quick to sign up when the opportunity arose a few months back there was a fair proportion of my brain/inner voice that was loudly exclaiming " WTF!!! Why?????
It would be fair to say that I was aware that it was a massive step out of my comfort zone.....not helped by finding out a few days before the challenge that due to repositioning of the wires we would get a "bonus" 60 metres added to our slide.....bonus was not the word I would have used at the time!!! So I was expecting major nerves and my plan prior to the day was kind of a "go first and get it over and done with before you can change your mind!!"
The afternoon arrived and sure enough I was first of the 8 sign ups for FMA UK, who I'll talk about in a bit, to do my final registration form. Then the group of sliders and supporters stood to watch some of the others taking part for other organisations do their slide and strangely I didn't feel unsettled.
Our timeslot arrived and I was first to get my harness and hardhat on which saw a fun exchange with the guy helping me into my harness. As he tightened it to the required point he said "this might be a little uncomfortable" and I responded by saying "I have fibromyalgia....everything is uncomfortable!!"
Then they started calling us over to the cage/basket that each group would be hoisted up the 100ft height to begin our slide.
We were told to look down and wave for photos when we got to the top and I wasn't really keen.....however when we got to the top, I don't know what happened but it seemed like the mindfulness practitioner in me stepped to the front and I found myself excitedly waving to the supporters on the ground and taking in the stunning views afforded by seeing Glasgow, a city I was born in and spend a fair amount of time in, from this unique open air vantage point.
There were 2 sliders in front of me and then it was my turn and the safety/support guy who got us ready did a great bit of mindset work that quelled any potential last minute nerves. As he clipped my harness straps onto the zipline and helped me move into place he got me to bend and feel the harness take my weight.....so I knew in my mind I was securely held and, even though I was 100ft up in the air the harness and the wires had me supported.
Then it was my time to go....I stepped slowly out, there was a 3, 2 , 1 countdown and I was in the air......aware of the zipping/swishing noise of the mechanics holding me to the wire and moving me down it, enjoying the views, noticing the colours and sight of the clyde far below (for height/scale reference the building you can see in the first pic below is the roof of the Glasgow HQ of the BBC )
And then it was almost over....and I was brought back to earth with a jolt as the safety procedures to stop our slide kicked in as I reached the platform 1000ft from where I'd started (bizarrely considering my expectation of the heights or the slide being the worst bits THAT was the worst bit !!)
And then as I stood to watch the other sliders in my group join me on the ground I allowed myself to take a moment to reflect on just how far out of my comfort zone I had moved and what a wonderful positive experience had been on the other side of the prior fears and doubts of my abilities to do something like that (the pic below is me on the finishing point scaffold)
As we walked back to the starting point, something that prior to the day I had expected fear/adrenaline/exertion to have left me unable to do, we cheered and shouted encouragement to the rest of our group of 8 as they zipped back to earth to join us.
We also shared stories of what was behind our doing this challenge which brings me to the why I was doing it and the bit about FMA UK I promised you at the start of this blog.
My main why was it was for the charity, as someone who has both benefited from the resources of FMA UK and had an opportunity to volunteer with them and be involved in awareness events and office stuff (making up and mailing info packs, callbacks to people with fibro and also office admin) I know only too well the difference the charity is making and how much the money that is raised enables them to reach out to and support those with the condition (that's around 1in20 of the UK population) their families and carers and the wider community, including health professionals, who may need to be educated and informed about the condition.
There was also an element of it being a bucket list/life's too short so why not moment too. For quite a while now I've been accepting of the differences, and occasional limits, fibromyalgia has brought me but also, following a fair bit of mindset work, very aware of and grateful for the positive opportunities and experiences it can bring to my life too....and this was definitely a positive and VERY different experience!
I suppose the overwhelming point of this blog, apart from documenting the challenge and my experience of it is to give a bit of encouragement and hope to anyone feeling stuck in a negative space or holding back on moving out of their comfort zone to do something.
I found that, when you're considering that step, support and encouragement from those around you comes to the fore and, if you can trust the harness of the universe to hold you up that what is outside that space probably isn't as scary as you first thought and you might just find yourself enjoying the ride!!